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Photo Gallery: Fieldwork

Photo documentary of reforestation efforts in Haiti by SID alumnus Eric Anderson, M.A. '07
©2007 Eric Anderson

While in Haiti completing my second-year practicum, I had the opportunity to visit several organizations working to ameliorate the nearly complete deforestation of the country. The severity of the situation is apparent in the denuded landscape around the country.

A man working in one farming cooperative said to me, “It’s said that we are the poorest country in the hemisphere but I say we are a country that has been made poor.” Haiti and her people have had a long history of being exploited. Sugar made Haiti France's most lucrative colony, worth more than all its other colonies combined. The sugar mills consumed the lives of many slaves and the fuel required to maintain production began the destruction of Haiti's forests. The deforestation is only exasperated by the poverty here, where often trees and charcoal production are the only source of income. The lack of infrastructure and electricity also create a dependence on charcoal for cooking and heating.

Another man said, “We have great hope, we can reforest Haiti!” However, it has been estimated that for every tree that is planted seven are cut down. Many of the reforestation efforts are localized and it is hard to see their effectiveness when compared to the pace these forests are being consumed.

I was grateful to receive the Mironda Heston Scholarship; a scholarship created to support students working in solidarity with the people of Haiti that continues the work of social justice that Mironda Heston strived for.

- Eric Anderson, M.A. '07

For more information about Eric Anderson's work or to obtain permission to use or reproduce these photos, please contact him at alverne27@yahoo.com.

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©2007 Eric Anderson Haiti has less than two percent of forested land remaining. The erosion of soil from the lack of forest coverage has been disastrous in this dominantly agrarian society. In 2004 thousands of people died from flash flooding resulting from Hurricane Jeanne.	©2007 Eric Anderson Charcoal production has been a major cause of deforestation in this Caribbean nation where it is the primary source of energy and cooking. However there are many significant historical and cultural reasons underlying the current situation, from weak government regulation and environmentally unsound agricultural practices, to the escalation of charcoal production to support a rapidly growing population.	©2007 Eric Anderson Charcoal is produced in the provinces and transported to urban centers. Thirty percent of the potential energy is lost during production of charcoal from timber.
©2007 Eric Anderson Market women selling charcoal on the streets of Gonaives. A common sight in many other large cities such as Port au Prince and Cap Haitian.	©2007 Eric Anderson A tree bank of 100,000 seedlings that is run by the Landless Peasant Protest Movement. Their work is partially supported by the Lambi Fund of Haiti. There are many groups working towards reforestation in the country; from grassroot peasant cooperatives to international non-governmental organizations.	©2007 Eric Anderson Peasant cooperatives are comprised of local farmers and community members pooling their economic and political resources together: Perhaps in response to Haiti's unfortunate and violent history of land dispute. As inherited hectares are split and resources divided, feuds have divided families and communities. Ultimately the lack of resources, the lack of arable land, has led to bloodshed.
©2007 Eric Anderson The extremity of poverty in Haiti provides few choices. Productive land is scarce and reforestation often means asking peasants to decide against planting crops for survival. Some larger international NGOs will 'rent' the land from peasants for five to ten years for reforestation purposes. This solution is imperfect and dependent on the fickleness of foreign aid.	©2007 Eric Anderson Members of the Peasant Movement of Papaye (MPP) meet at an educational workshop. Many of the cooperatives used meetings such as these as a method to teach better agricultural techniques.	©2007 Eric Anderson Ditches are dug to decrease soil erosion and stabilize the soil so vegetation and trees have a chance to grow. The nearby University of Fondwa promotes techniques such as these to train students who are committed to returning to work in the rural communities they come from. This school is based on the Cuban model of rural universities focused on land management, veterinary medicine and agronomy.
©2007 Eric Anderson 'Brickets', made from corn husks or grass, provide a relatively new alternative to charcoal. They burn similarly to charcoal and are relatively simple and cost effective to create. Other energy alternatives have been attempted such as solar cookers but cost and cultural barriers have prevented their acceptance.	©2007 Eric Anderson "Remember the rain that made your corn grow." -- a Haitian proverb.	©2007 Eric Anderson The Peasant Movement of Papaye uses school gardens to educate children in agricultural techniques that are environmentally friendly and productive. Reforestation will be intergenerational and educating children with techniques at farming that allows them to maximize the land they have as well as ways to heal the land is essential.
©2007 Eric Anderson Eucalyptus trees blanket this hillside. Though these trees grow rapidly and are effective at stabilizing the soil they are criticized for being invasive and detrimental to plant diversity. However, a local farmer said that coffee and tomatoes were able to be grown in the shade of these trees. In the lower right of the picture can be seen living barriers which are also used to prevent erosion. .	©2007 Eric Anderson A lady works at a nursery in the mountains near Fondwa. Twenty years ago it was estimated that by 2008 Haiti would be completely devoid of forest.	©2007 Eric Anderson Many hands working together will be needed to reforest Haiti.
To learn more about some of the organizations mentioned above: Grassroots International www.grassrootsonline.org The Lambi Fund of Haiti www.lambifund.org The University of Fondwa www.unif2004.org